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Might (κράτος)

Might (κράτος) expresses the ability of resident strength, the quality of being able.

When the exorcists of the ruling religious party attempted to rebuke a malignantly evil spirit by using Jesus’ name, for they had seen the Apostles doing this, the spirit responded by first stating that he has an intuitive knowledge of Paul but not of them. He then proceeded to strip them naked and sent them running. This caused great fear in the city of Ephesus, and the Word of the Lord grew in the region.

thus, according to the might of the Lord, the Word increased and became strong – Acts 19:20.

As Christians, our eyes are opened to the truth so that we may know the hope of His calling, the riches of the proper opinion of His inheritance among the saints, and the exceeding greatness of his inherent ability towards us according to the working of the might of His strength, Ephesians 1:18-19. Wicked hands crucified Christ. In response to such malignantly evil work, God the Father raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand. He is now over all authorities and is the head of the Church, which is the new creation God made in raising Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:17. This was a display of the resident strength of His inherent ability.

When it comes to battling Satan, we are not called to rebuke demons or to exercise authority over them; instead, we are instructed to stand firm against them by the strength we have in the Lord. For it is in the might of His strength that we have victory, Ephesians 6:10. Our battle is not physical – of flesh and blood. It […]

Might (κράτος)Luther Walker2024-04-11T05:42:22-07:00

Mental (κάμνω) and Physical (ἐκλύω) Weariness

Mental weariness (κάμνω) is an exhaustion of the soul that impacts the mind. It can result from continual struggles, long, arduous journeys, or the accusing of the conscience for wronging another person.

James writes of the vow of faith by those who are mentally weary. In the early Church, the Elders (Pastors) would assist those who were physically sick (ἀσθενέω), praying over them and anointing them with oil, which was used for relief from sickness. However, for those who are having a mental issue, it is the vow of faith that will provide calmness. This vow is to correct a wrong done, which is causing a negative impact on the mind because of the weariness of the soul.

And the vow of faith will save the mentally ill and the Lord will raise him up and if he has done a sin, it will be forgiven him – James 5:15.

A physical weariness (ἐκλύω) can cause a person to lose heart. During His earthly ministry, Jesus fed a large crowd that had come out to hear Him speak on the Kingdom of the Heavens. He has compassion on them because they were exhausted from their journey, Matthew 9:36. A person who sows should not exhaust their strength, for in due time, he will reap from his work, Galatians 6:9. Sowing righteousness will take more time to reap than sowing to the flesh, which seeks instant gratification. Patience in doing good and taking time to rest is essential so we do not grow weary in overcoming what is wrong with good. As sons of God, He corrects us when we do wrong. We are not to become physically exhausted by this child-training, for the Lord rebukes those […]

Mental (κάμνω) and Physical (ἐκλύω) WearinessLuther Walker2024-04-04T13:48:14-07:00

Without Form and Void (תֹ֨הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ)

The insistence among some Christian teachers that the universe was created in six days raises a few issues when examining Scripture. It is Scripturally accurate that the earth we currently know was made in six days; however, made and created are two different concepts.

In a beginning God created the heavens and the earth, Genesis 1:1. Although in verse one many English translations add a definite article (the) before “Beginning”, implying that it is the first act or start of creation, in the original Hebrew, “Beginning” is not definite. Therefore, Genesis 1:1 is not referring to the beginning of God’s acts of creation. God’s first step in creation was creating the spirit beings, who witnessed the creation of the universe, Job 38:7. In verse Two of Genesis chapter One, the Hebrew verse starts with a conjunction vav (ו). Vav is used to indicate the progression of the story; however, it is not connected to time, only to order. Many events could have happened between the two episodes, but the first event occurs before the second one. Therefore, God created the heavens and the earth, and then something happened that caused the earth to be in a state of ruin. What occurred between the creation of the universe and the earth being found as a wasteland, void of life, in Genesis 1:2 is not discussed in Genesis, for the focus is on the renovation of the earth and the creation of humans, not the creation of the universe. Before we look at what happened between the creation of the universe and the condition of the earth in Genesis chapter One verse Two, let us examine the words “without form” and “void” to ensure we are […]

Without Form and Void (תֹ֨הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ)Luther Walker2024-03-28T07:14:26-07:00

To Pull, Drag, or Draw (ἑλκύω)

To draw (ἑλκύω) expresses the concept of moving an object from one area to another by attraction or pulling.

During Christ’s earthly ministry, after Jesus declared that He was the bread of life that came down from heaven, the crowd following Him from the other side of the sea where He fed them began to murmur. They knew that Jesus was the son of Joseph, so how could He come down from heaven? In response, Jesus instructed them to stop murmuring, for no one has the ability to come to Him except the Father draws him, John 6:44.

When Jesus is lifted up, He will draw all men unto Himself, John 12:32. The time for the judgment of this world has come. Just as a seed of wheat must die to produce more, through His death, many more sons of the light will be produced, John 12:36.

After the death of Christ, the disciples returned to their fishing business. They spent the night out on the sea but did not have any success. In the morning, the resurrected Christ spoke to them from the shore and instructed them to cast out the nets on the other side of the boat. Once they did this, the catch was so large they could not draw it into the boat, John 21:6. Realizing the man on the shore was Jesus, Peter jumped into the sea and swam to shore while the other disciples drew the net to land, John 21:7.

After Paul rebuked a demon who had possessed a young slave girl to deceive people who lived in the city of Philippi because she was following Paul around, claiming that he was presenting a way of salvation, her masters dragged Paul and […]

To Pull, Drag, or Draw (ἑλκύω)Luther Walker2024-03-16T09:20:03-07:00

Persuade (πείθω)

Persuading (πείθω) involves convincing someone to follow a particular viewpoint or course of action.

The High Priests and elders of Israel persuaded the people to request a murderer be set free while condemning a righteous man, Matthew 27:20. After they had Him crucified by the hand of Pilate, standing at the cross, they mocked Christ, saying, “He was persuaded on the basis of God. Now, let Him deliver Him if He desires, for He said that I am the Son of God.” Knowing that Jesus was the Messiah and that He stated if they destroyed His body, He would raise it in three days, the High Priests and elders persuaded Pilate to seal the tomb and put a guard at it so no one could steal the body. However, three days later, some of the guards assigned to the tomb came into the city and told the High Priest of the angel and the tomb opening, for the One they had condemned to death and mocked God answered and raised Him out from the dead. Concerned over this news, the High Priest and elders offer the guards a large sum of money to say the disciples overtook them while they slept. And if the governor hears of this, they will persuade him and make them secure, Matthew 28:14. The absurdity of such a statement is shocking, for if they were caught sleeping, they would be killed, and if they failed in their duties, they would face execution. During Christ’s earthly ministry, while addressing the Pharisees, who were fond of money, He speaks of a rich man and Lazarus. This is not a parable but a historical record of two men: one who trusted in his […]

Persuade (πείθω)Luther Walker2024-03-03T20:59:14-08:00

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